


Way Down We Go

by 50shadesofsubtext



Series: SPN AU and Trope Bingo [7]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Enemies to Lovers, Historian Dean Winchester, M/M, SPN AU Bingo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-20 05:58:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13140525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/50shadesofsubtext/pseuds/50shadesofsubtext
Summary: Dean argues with the dark-haired guy in class with outspoken opinions, but maybe it isn't because he disagrees. Maybe he just wants to show off.Fill for my SPN AU and Trope Bingo for the square historian!Dean.





	Way Down We Go

**Author's Note:**

> The title is from Kaleo’s song of the same name.

Dr. Alder’s class was the only one Dean dreaded this semester. He had the guy for Western Civ. The class itself covered fascinating topics, but Alder droned through his lectures. This semester he had Medieval Women with the guy, and even though Charlie and Benny were in the class, he didn’t want to go. 

He was late the first day, but Charlie and Benny saved a spot between them. He pulled his computer out of his bag and pulled up the syllabus. Alder was already on the second page. Dean tuned him out. Syllabi were all the same anyway. 

He clicked through web pages and landed on the Star Trek fandom page. Charlie rolled her eyes at him, but he kept clicking through the pages. They grabbed lunch together after class. 

It was the second week before anything caught his interest. They all signed up to lead a class, and this morning, a tall, dark-haired guy stood at the front of the class. Dean listened to every word about the significance of Mary being viewed as a male, about the dichotomy of Mary and Eve and how the Church gave a black and white view of women’s behavior based on these two women. 

Dean was enraptured by the dark-haired man. 

He started paying better attention in class. The guy’s name was Castiel. He knew everything about each of the angels Alder discussed, understood the way the angels were only discussed as male but really had no gender and were depicted as female by many artists. 

For someone who understood so much about appearances and how they were interpreted, Castiel really should have applied the knowledge to himself. The guy looked like he crawled out of bed without looking at the mirror. His hair stuck up at odd angles and his clothes were rumpled. He even wore a long trench coat despite the temperature outside. 

In the weekly online discussion board, Dean and Castiel started arguments over translations of words and what they would have meant in the 1200’s. Castiel took a postmodern approach and said that the terminology used at the time should be the only terminology used for the discussion. Everything was too nuanced to have modern words or meanings describe the situation. 

The night after Charlie led the class on lesbianism in convents, Castiel went to the discussion board arguing that the term ‘lesbian’ wasn’t used until the 19th century, and excluded the spectrum of women that would now be called ‘asexual,’ ‘bisexual,’ ‘pansexual,’ or ‘queer.’ He argued that the lack of an identity and community at the time the women lived required current historians to either use the words ‘fricatrices,’ ‘buggers,’ or ‘sodomites’ like the church would have called them, or ‘lesbian-like’ and say they exhibited similar traits to current day lesbians. 

Dean said that Castiel was thinking way too much about terminology and that people should be able to use whatever identities and labels they wanted to use. He finally stopped fighting when Charlie text him after midnight and said that the entire class was notified when someone posted on the board and she and Dorothy were tired of being woke up everytime her phone dinged. 

The next week, the class was much more interesting. Everytime Dean asked for clarification or stated his opinion, Castiel countered him. It was like Castiel was just trying to make him mad. Dean read every article like his life depended on it and came prepared to fight for his opinions. They carried the class so well that Alder quit trying and just let them take the discussions over. 

Benny and Charlie always backed up Dean in the arguments, whether they knew what he was talking about or not. Castiel usually had the support of Anna and Kevin. 

By midterms, Charlie had enough of their fighting. Over lunch, Charlie told him that he had to sort out his UST or they would stop supporting him in class. 

“UST?” Dean asked.

“Yes. UST. Dean, when was the last time you got laid?”

“Uh,” he stuttered. “What? Why do… you think… me and him? I hate him.”

“Brother,” Benny leaned over like he was telling a secret, “you can’t keep your eyes off him.”

Charlie nodded and reached for her drink, “He can’t keep his eyes off you either. If you stopped trying to outdo each other, you’d get along great.”

“You guys are ridiculous,” Dean told them. “He’s a self-righteous asshole.” 

“You’re blushing,” Benny said. Dean ducked his head and dug his fork into his pasta. 

“Just ask him to get drinks one night,” Charlie said between bites. “You can let out ALL your frustration.” Dean pierced his lips at her, but he couldn’t get the picture out of his head. “I’ll text you his number,” she added.

“God, Charlie, how do you have his number?”

“He was in Harvelle’s class with Jo and me last semester. Women in the US. We did a project together.”

“I’m not asking him out.”

“The whole class will thank you,” Charlie said with a smile. “I am so telling Jo about this!”

Dean glared at her, too annoyed to keep fighting. He saved the number in his phone, but he didn’t do anything about it. He tried to keep his mouth shut more in class, and Alder almost looked disappointed that he had to start talking in class again. 

The night after Dean gave his presentation on Eleanor of Aquitaine, the first day after Thanksgiving break; he felt his phone buzz. He expected a notification that someone posted something in one of his classes, so he was surprised to see Castiel’s name with a text.  _ “You did very well today, congratulations.” _

Dean looked at his phone in silence for a minute before he realized the blue icon meant Castiel saw Dean opened the text. He didn’t want to be an asshole and not respond, especially when he would have to see him on Wednesday. The picture of him and Castiel together, ‘letting out their frustrations’ flashed through his head and he text back, “ _ Do you want to get drinks Friday night?” _

Before he could take it back, Castiel text back,  _ “Moe’s? 8?” _

It was one of the nicer college bars in town, and they had pretty good burgers.  _ “See you there.” _

He screenshot a picture of the conversation and sent it to Charlie. “ _ Praise the Lord!” _ she sent back.

The week’s discussions went well, except for Charlie googling date ideas on her laptop and showing Dean the ones she really liked. Dean flipped her off after the third one. 

Charlie insisted on coming over to help Dean pick out clothes. When they made it home, Benny grabbed a speaker from his room and Charlie plugged her music. The greatest hits of the 80s played as they went through Dean’s closet. Charlie had fun playing dress up despite his protests that he spent 21 years dressing himself and he didn’t need help. 

She finally settled on a white button-up shirt that she rolled the sleeves up on, and dark, stonewashed jeans that she said showed off his ass. “You’re a lesbian, you don’t need to look at my ass,” he reminded her. 

“Maybe I’m ‘lesbian-like,’” she said with a wink and laughed when he rolled his eyes. 

Castiel showed up at the bar with the same rumpled shirt, trench coat, and bed head. Dean wasn’t sure what to say that wouldn’t start a fight. When the bartender came to them at the counter, Castiel asked for ‘whatever was on tap’ and a cheeseburger.

Dean smiled, “You like burgers.”

Cas looked at him like he was crazy, “Everyone likes burgers.”

Dean smiled. Maybe the night wouldn’t be so bad after all. 

They talked through Bullough and Boswell’s interpretations of making female figures male while they waited for their food. It was the first thing Dean found interesting in the class, and he didn’t hide his interest while Castiel was talking. “Is that what you are doing your research paper on?” 

Castiel shook his head. “No, I was planning on researching the role angel’s played in the Church’s shaping female gender roles.” <

“You know a lot about angels, don’t you.”

Castiel smiled, “My siblings and I were all named after angels. Castiel, Gabriel, Michael, Benjamin, Rachel.”

“Big family,” Dean said and reached for the mug set in front of him.

“My parents are very religious. They believed we should go forth and populate the world.” Dean heard the air quotes in his voice and chuckled. Castiel continued, “They didn’t take well to the idea that I was gay. Gabriel and Benjamin are the only family I talk to anymore.”

Dean nodded sadly. “My Dad kicked me out when he caught me giving a blowjob to my high school boyfriend, Aaron,” he told Castiel. “Sammy ran away, but I made him go back. Got a scholarship to go here, and a few years later, Sammy got a full ride to Stanford. He was my only family for a long time.”

“And now you have more?” Castiel raised an eyebrow. 

“Family doesn’t end in blood. My friends here are more my family that my dad ever was.”

“I’m not good at making friends,” Castiel admitted. “I care too much about being right than about what other people think about me.”

The bartender interrupted them to drop off their burgers. They were quiet for a minute while they took their first few bites. “Delicious,” Dean said between mouthfuls. Castiel nodded.  

Dean looked over to Castiel and bumped their shoulders together. “So, buddy, how are your other classes this semester?”

Castiel put his food down and wiped his hands off with his napkin. Dean watched his Adam’s apple bob when he swallowed. “They are well. I have Poverty in the US with Harvelle, History of Japan with Singer, and I’m doing my internship this semester.”

“Oh, where is your internship at?”

“GLBT archives downtown, I’m digitizing a collection of Donald Webster Cory’s letters to Harry Hay right now.”

Castiel’s enthusiasm was evident in his voice, and there was a fire in his eyes. Dean wondered if maybe he didn’t argue with Castiel because he disagreed with him and maybe if it was just because he looked so good when he was passionate about something. 

“Remind me who they were.”

“Cory was the pen name for Edward Sagarin, a professor of sociology and criminology in New York. He and Hay talked a lot about the early homophile movement and discussed medicalization and publication about the gay society. He wrote  _The Homosexual and his Society_ , and it sorta kick-started Hay's organization of the Mattachine Society. That was the first organized national gay society. They talked about people like Christopher Isherwood and other famous and openly gay people.”

Dean leaned a little closer and turned his chair to face Castiel. “You really like that stuff, huh?”

“Yeah, I just feel a powerful connection to those people, you know? Fighting for what was right when everyone told them they were wrong. It’s inspiring.”

Dean nodded. He squirted some ketchup on his plate and ran a fry through it. “You’re a senior, right?”

Castiel nodded, “I’ll be in Senior Sem next semester—”

Dean stopped him, “Really? We’ll have a big group. Jo, Charlie, and Dorothy, Benny, you and me. I think this semester there are only four kids in the class.”

“That’s what I heard,” Castiel said. “Plus, Harvelle is teaching.”

“That should be an  _ awesome _ class. You thought about what you’re doing for your thesis yet?” 

“I would like to explore early homophile groups through queer theory. The early movement, really most of the movement but especially in the early 50s, has focused on replicating heterosexuality with same-sex couples. That’s why we passed same-sex marriage before we offered guaranteed rights to transgender people or polyamorous relationships. Non-married same-sex couples don’t even have healthcare through their partners and can’t legally be admitted to see them in the hospital.”

“Everyone wants an apple pie life,” Dean said. 

Castiel shook his head, “But not everyone does. And there aren’t protections for those people. The community has focused on civil rights so intensely that we’ve forgotten human rights. People have the right to live in their bodies however they wish, wear whatever they wish, love whoever and however many people they wish.” 

Dean took the last bite of his burger before he turned to face Castiel. Their knees bumped together, and neither one turned away. “You are very passionate about that.”

“Well, my brother, Benjamin, is trans. Plus Gabe and I are both gay.”

“And that’s why you still talk to them?”

“We were all kicked out.”

Dean put his fingers up for two more beers and watched the bartender set them in front of their plates. “What about your thesis?” Castiel asked.

“LSD and the frontier theory. When the American frontier was closed, when man reached the moon, Allen Ginsberg, Ken Kesey, Jack Kerouac, and Timothy Leary experimented with LSD. Their trips provided a personal frontier that Americans could reach toward.”  

Castiel gave him a strange look. “That’s surprising. I thought you would do something based in European history. You seem to really enjoy our class.”

“I think I was just trying to impress you in class… Plus, I couldn’t handle Alder as my advisor.”

Castiel’s eyes widened, “You were trying to impress me?”

“Well, you’re a pretty impressive guy.” He reached a hand over to Castiel’s thigh and left it. His eyes went comically wide, and Dean laughed. He rubbed his thumb down the inside of Castiel’s leg. “Do you want to get out of here?” 

Castiel glanced down at Dean’s hand, and Dean watched his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed. “That sounds great, Dean.” 

Dean slid off his chair and pulled a few bills out of his wallet. He grabbed Castiel’s hand as they walked out the door and watched Castiel admire the trees wrapped with lights. 

It was warm enough outside, so he asked, “You want to walk?”

Castiel nodded, and they walked hand in hand down the sidewalk. The businesses were all decorated for the holidays, and the street was lined with lighted trees. The view was almost as pretty as the glow on Castiel’s face. They walked to the end of Main Street where the city decorated the giant tree in the middle of the park. It was covered in blue and green lights and Dean slowed in front of it and pulled Castiel in front of him. 

Castiel looked up at the tree, “It’s beautiful.”

“Yeah, you are.” He reached to the back of Castiel’s neck and pulled him close, locking their lips. Castiel smiled against his lips and settled a hand on Dean’s hip as he opened the kiss. They stayed there for a few minutes before they broke apart. “Wow,” Dean said breathlessly. 

“Yeah,” Castiel agreed before leaning in for another kiss. 

They broke apart, and Dean smiled over at the other man before he grabbed his hand again and started walking back toward the bar. “What are you doing tomorrow?”

Castiel squinted his eyes. “Why?”

“I want to make sure I get you home on time.”

“Home from where?”

“My house. If you want.”

He watched Castiel think for a minute before he nodded. “That sounds great.”

He was pretty sure Benny took a picture of them as they stumbled through the door pulling off each other’s clothes. At least he figured Benny told their friends when he and Cas looked over the texts on his phone from Charlie, Dorothy, and Jo. 

By final’s week, Dean was pretty glad he took Dr. Alder’s class. He held hands with Cas through class and barely even noticed Benny and Charlie teasing him. The class was eternally frustrated that just because they were together didn’t mean they stopped arguing, but Dean couldn’t help himself, the fire and passion behind Cas’ eyes were too hard to resist.

It was by far his favorite semester.

**Author's Note:**

> I am a history student, so most of this fic was taken from my actual experiences in school. My thesis is the same as Cas', and Dean's is the same as one of my friends. I have taken all the classes mentioned in the fic, but my Medieval Woman professor was amazing and fantastic and nothing like Zachariah. I only wish I had an internship like Cas got... but the papers and letters are real, and they are online at the ONE archive at USC. Super fascinating reading!


End file.
